Resonators within microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have been required for a variety of applications including oscillators, filters, gyroscopes, mass sensors, and many other devices. Generally, resonators have been divided into two categories based on the direction of the motion: vertical resonators and lateral resonators. While lateral resonators are considered superior with respect to amplitude, damping and ease of coupling to other structures, conventional comb-drive lateral-resonators have provided much smaller available force per unit area of the resonator than vertical resonators. Thus, a lateral electrostatic MEMS resonator with an increased resonant amplitude and a stability of the resonant amplitude may be useful in some applications.